It’s year after year, after year, after years that Coolmore gives us a champion, and now City of Troy who will be standing at Coolmore Australia in the Hunter Valley.
“He’s a horse of a lifetime – he has the cruise, he has the balance, and he quickens and he stays,” said master trainer Aidan O’Brien in being the Longines World’s Best Racehorse in 2024.
Retiring with a 127 Longines WBR Ranking, and having defeated older horses in two of his three back-to-back Group 1 victories as a 3YO, he was also European Champion 3YO Colt of 2024.
Always ridden by Ryan Moore, and in running 2-38.32s for the 1m4f of the Betfred Derby, City of Troy rounded Tattenham Corner on the rail, and taking the lead at the 2f scored by 2¾ lengths.
In being awarded a high World’s Best Racehorse Ranking of 125 as a 3yo, he next dropped back in distance to 1m2f of the Eclipse Stakes, and defeating the 4yo Al Riffa held his 125 Ranking.
Next up, and running 2-04.32s to crush Sea The Stars’ track record in the Juddmonte International of 1m2½f, his WBR Ranking jumped to 127 in defeating French odds-on favourite Calandagan.
In fact, turf authority Jim McGrath stated “he’s pretty much what thoroughbred excellence is all about, a flawless pedigree, top-class form and a brilliant action, he’s a wonderful racehorse.”
In also being the European Champion 2YO Colt, Timeform said “he could develop into one of the greats” with his performance in the Dewhurst Stakes as 125, and second only to Frankel.
With Timeform being so impressed with his juvenile career, they also stated “the best performance in the race’s history” was his runaway 6½ length victory in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes.
A handsome bay at 16.1hh, and winner from 7f to 1m4, he was a 4-times Group 1 winner at 2 and 3 years, being by ‘worldwide sire sensation’ Justify, and will now stand alongside his sire.
Being from the 2YO Group 1 winning Scat Daddy mare Together Forever, and half-brother to Military Style, his dam is a sister to Oaks winner Forever Together and Group 1 sire Lord Shanakill.
With news that City of Troy is already oversubscribed, and the same for Auguste Rodin at Windsor Park Stud in NZ, will we see the Betfred Derby winner Lambourn shuttling ‘down under’?
Sired by Galileo’s world champion 3YO Australia, Lambourn looks to emulate his sire who also won the Irish Derby in 2014, and be the fifth double for Aidan O’Brien since Auguste Rodin in 2013.
And with Coolmore having Camille Passarro win the Prix du Jockey Club, will he stand with his sire Wootton Bassett ‘down under’, who is close to being Australian Champion First Season Sire?
With his Battleofwinterfell yearling colt making $1.7m at the Gold Coast, his Park Boom colt set a new €4.3m European yearling sale record and his Henri Matisse won the French 2000 Guineas.
Also new to Coolmore is the ultra-quick Switzerland, who ran 1-08.03s to be the fastest Coolmore Stud Stakes winner, and his 125 Timeform was the ‘highest rated Spring 3YO ever by Snitzel.’
‘His win in the Coolmore was a 106.3 rating – that was the dominant sprinter’s rating of the spring – 3YO’s, older horses, or anything,’ who like Zoustar completed the Roman Consul double.
And with Switzerland said to be ‘an incredibly good-looking $1.5m Easter Yearling,’ he’s by the multiple champion Snitzel, from the speedy Ms Bad Behaviour, by top US dam-line sire Blame.
The Caulfield Guineas winner Private Life also retires to Coolmore, and in defeating Champion 2YO in Broadsiding, joins successful sires Redoute’s Choice, The Autumn Sun, Ole Kirk, etc.
“Outstanding colt Private Life emerged as one of the new stars of Australian racing when he beat a crack field in today’s $3 million Group One Caulfield Guineas,” said the Magic Millions.
‘An incredibly good-looking $650,000 Magic Millions yearling, he’s a bay at 116.2hh, by twice Australian champion Written Tycoon, from the Group 1 placed winning Snitzel mare Aliyana Tilde.
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